Written Answers Wednesday 25 November 2009

Scottish Executive

Carers

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much is being spent on providing services for carers.

Shona Robison: Support to local carers’ services is a matter for local authorities and health boards to determine on the basis of their local priorities.

  Local authorities’ net revenue expenditure on support for carers, including respite care, in 2007-08 (latest figures available) was £117.034 million, compared with £100 million in 2006-07.

  The Scottish Government has provided area health boards and the Scottish Ambulance Service with £9 million between 2008-11 to develop and implement Carer Information Strategies. We have provided local authorities with over £4 million as part of the local government settlement to provide an extra 10,000 respite weeks. We have provided over £400,000 to fund three Young Carer Festivals, which provide young carers from all over Scotland with a break from caring. We are funding three young carer initiatives this year through a £200,000 grant to a national carer organisation. We have funded other initiatives including three carer training pilots. The Scottish Government supports national carers organisations through grants made under section 10 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968. Over the next three years we are committed to awards totalling nearly £100,000 to five organisations.

Employment

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its news release on 22 September 2009, Greener business revolution , when it will produce the "robust Scottish employment data".

Jim Mather: Scottish Enterprise, in conjunction with the Scottish Government, are in the process of finalising a report on the renewable energy sector in Scotland, which will include updated employment estimates. The data will be made available in due course.

Energy Efficiency

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what projects have benefited from any consequential funding arising in 2009-10 as a result of the UK Budget allocation for district heating.

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has received in Barnett consequentials as a result of the £25 million allocated for community heating schemes in the 2009-10 UK Budget.

Jim Mather: The £25 million from the UK Government budget funding for community district heating included approximately £2.1 million in consequentials for the Scottish Government.

  It is for Scottish ministers to decide on the eventual allocation of consequential funding (general or the product of subsequent new funding) in light of Scottish needs and priorities. It does not follow that this funding would be allocated in similar areas to that allocated by Whitehall Departments.

  There is funding available to support biomass fired CHP/district heating in Scotland (up to £100,000 per project) through the Communities and Renewable Energy Scheme. Our Energy Efficiency Action Plan Consultation paper: Conserve and Save, which we are currently consulting on, considers what Scottish Government support is needed for low carbon district heating.

Enterprise

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-28108 by Jim Mather on 30 October 2009, in what respect it considers that publishing details of registrations for a public prize competition for the award of public money may lead to a breach of confidentiality.

Jim Mather: The Scottish Government has not previously sought agreement from Saltire Prize registrants to make public their declared interest in the prize, and in these circumstances it is inappropriate to publish details at this stage. As previously highlighted in answer to question S3W-28108, the Scottish Government will publish full details of the teams that make formal applications to participate in the competition on the Saltire Prize website.

Family Law (Scotland) Act 2006

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-13639 by Kenny MacAskill on 9 June 2008, when it intends to review the Family Law (Scotland) Act 2006.

Fergus Ewing: As the act is still relatively new, we are not planning a full review of the Act at this time, although we continue to monitor its impact.

  Work has been carried out by other bodies in relation to aspects of the 2006 act. The Scottish Law Commission’s recent report (number 215) on succession recommended the repeal of section 29 of the 2006 act and its replacement by a new statutory regime providing succession rights for cohabitants. The commission’s report, and the government’s initial response, can be found at: http://www.scotlawcom.gov.uk/html/reports.php.

  In addition, the Nuffield Foundation have provided funding to Edinburgh University to carry out a study on legal practitioners’ perspectives on the cohabitation provisions of the 2006 act. More information on this study can be found at: http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/fileLibrary/pdf/Wasoff_CPF_2008.pdf.

Finance

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish its views on future regulatory reform of banking in Scotland.

Jim Mather: The Scottish Government closely monitors, and comments on, regulatory proposals from UK, EU and international regimes as appropriate. Officials have most recently worked with HM Treasury officials on the UK’s Financial Services Bill as it applies to Scotland.

Food Standards Agency

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what details it can provide of meetings since 18 September 2009 between the head of the GM section of the Food Standards Agency and the head of abc, the umbrella group for the agricultural biotechnology industry.

Roseanna Cunningham: The Food Standards Agency informs me that no such meetings have taken place since the meeting on 18 September 2009

  I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-28021 on 27 October 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Food Standards Agency

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what details it can provide of meetings since 18 September 2009 between employees of the Food Standards Agency and members of abc, the umbrella group for the agricultural biotechnology industry.

Roseanna Cunningham: The Food Standards Agency informs me that no such meetings have taken place since the meeting on 18 September 2009.

  However, one meeting has taken place between employees of the Food Standards Agency and one member company of abc concerning a specific commercial matter.

  I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-28021 on 27 October 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Health

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure patient safety by guaranteeing supplies of prescription medicines via community pharmacists in light of restricted supplies by some pharmaceutical companies.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is aware of the issues impacting on the supply of prescription medicines and is in contact with NHS National Services Scotland and Community Pharmacy Scotland to monitor any supply difficulties and, where possible, will take all appropriate steps to ensure continuity of supply.

  Article 81 of EC Directive 2001/83/EC requires that marketing authorisation holders and distributors of their medicines ensure, within the limits of their responsibilities, appropriate and continuous supplies of the medicines so that the needs of patients are met. This requirement was transposed into UK medicines legislation in 2005. Further information can be found on the MHRA website: www.mhra.gov.uk.

  On 13 November 2009, guidance was issued by the MHRA and other key organisations to help pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors to meet their obligations under article 81. This guidance has been drawn to the attention of NHSScotland under cover of a letter from the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer. The letter and guidance can be found at: http://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/publications/DC20091118trading.pdf.

Health

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how long on average a disabled person is on a waiting list for direct payments, broken down by local authority.

Shona Robison: The information requested is not collected centrally.

NHS Hospitals

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it is supporting jobs in the Scottish construction industry by awarding the contract for the building of the new Southern General Hospital to a company headquartered outwith Scotland.

Nicola Sturgeon: All bidders deemed capable, following the prequalification stage, of delivering a project of this size and importance are headquartered outwith Scotland. Brookfield Construction is a UK company, and while this project marks its first major construction project in Scotland, it has an excellent track record of healthcare delivery worldwide and has been actively looking to expand its presence north of the border.

  Brookfield Construction as a business is not a volume builder and does not carry and have to support significant numbers of current employees throughout the UK. It will therefore have to employ the people to deliver the project. As a construction business, their focus is on delivering to their skills which are primarily healthcare and high rise. The new Southern General Hospital fits these skills perfectly. Brookfield will establish a business in Scotland on the back of this project and rather than resourcing it through existing staff, will send only its core team of 20 to 30 people who have all worked on the submission, and seek the rest of the resource locally.

NHS Hospitals

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of the successful bidders for the new Southern General Hospital sponsored events at the recent SNP autumn conference.

Nicola Sturgeon: The decision to award this contract for the new South Glasgow Hospitals project was taken by the Performance Review Group (a standing committee of the board) under delegated authority from the board of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde on 3 November 2009. The sponsorship of political events by others is a matter for parties themselves, not the Scottish Government.

NHS Procurement

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) capital and (b) revenue cost is of the new patient management system.

Nicola Sturgeon: The patient management system procurement has been very successful, and the prices achieved are substantially lower than indicated in the outline business case and the indicative prices provided during evaluation. The costs are (a) £20 million capital and (b) £24 million revenue over the 10 year contract.

NHS Procurement

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the procurement process is for the new patient management system.

Nicola Sturgeon: The procurement process was carried out and was fully compliant with EU regulations. The patient management system procurement was managed using the competitive dialogue procedure, under which following an OJEU Notice and an initial selection process, the purchaser then enters into dialogue with potential bidders, to develop one or more suitable solutions for its requirements and on which the chosen bidders will be invited to tender. The programme is part of the gateway review process with one review already undertaken and a further review planned prior to completion of the contract.

NHS Procurement

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive who assessed and determined the bids for the new patient management system.

Nicola Sturgeon: The procurement process for the patient management system was comprehensive and involved 200 staff from five NHS health boards, NHS National Services Scotland and the Scottish Government. The NHS staff included doctors, nurses, health records officers, IT staff and operational managers. These staff were involved in functional, technical, legal and commercial meetings with the bidders.

NHS Procurement

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what firms were involved in bidding for the contract for the new patient management system.

Nicola Sturgeon: The patient management system advert placed on the 11 April 2009, attracted 73 notes of interest. Each of these potential contractors (bidders) was sent a pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ), 23 responded to the questionnaire, of which nine were short-listed. All potential contractors ruled out were offered debriefing, of which five took up the offer of a meeting. Seven of the nine bidders responded to the specification document offering 10 potential solutions. After scoring the responses and having initial presentations in each area: functional, technical and commercial, four solutions from three bidders were short-listed to be taken forward in 2009.

  Perot (Oasis),

  Intersystem (TrakCare),

  Atos Origin (Oasis),

  Atos Origin(System C).

  The Atos Origin (Oasis bid) was then dropped by that bidder in June 2009. Intersystem have been selected as the preferred supplier.

NHS Procurement

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the successful bidder for the new patient management system was the lowest cost tender.

Nicola Sturgeon: The bidding process adopted a weighting system in scoring potential bids. The highest weighting was given to the bidders capacity to deliver the clinical and business requirements, as outlined in the tender. Cost was the second highest weighted scoring factor. The selected preferred bidder was not the lowest cost tender but represented good value for money and was affordable for all five health boards. Intersystem, the preferred supplier, were in procurement terms the most economically advantageous tender

NHS Procurement

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive where the successful bidder for the new patient management system is (a) headquartered and (b) has branches operating in Scotland.

Nicola Sturgeon: The corporate headquarters of Intersystems is in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. It does not have branches in Scotland but is the existing patient management system supplier for the second largest health board in Scotland, NHS Lothian. Intersystems are currently seeking office accommodation in Scotland to support the new contract.

NHS Procurement

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the successful bidder for the new patient management system employs staff in Scotland.

Nicola Sturgeon: The selected preferred bidder employs three staff in Scotland as they provide the patient administration system for NHS Lothian. Intersystems intend to employ 25-50 staff based in Scotland to support the patient management system. The process of filling senior posts is underway.

NHS Procurement

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a requirement for local employment in the contract awarded for the new patient management system and, if so, what level of employment is guaranteed as a percentage of the overall workforce.

Nicola Sturgeon: There was no specific requirement for local employment in the contract awarded. However, the preferred supplier has indicated that they will employ an additional 25-50 staff based in Scotland to support the patient management system.

NHS Procurement

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive to estimate the number of jobs that will be lost as a result of awarding the contract for the new patient management system to a company headquartered outwith Scotland.

Nicola Sturgeon: No loss of jobs is anticipated as a result of awarding this contract.

  I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-28999 on 25 November 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

NHS Staff

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many school nurses and how many full-time equivalent school nurses were employed in each NHS health area in each of the last four years.

Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-23085 on 29 April 2009, which gave the number of school nurses employed in 2007 and 2008. Data for 2005 and 2006 is unavailable due to the non-direct match between Whitley Council grades and new Agenda for Change bands.

  All the answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx

  Information as at 30 September 2009, will be published on 15 December 2009 and available from the National Services Scotland Information Services Division(ISD) Scotland website link: http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/796.html.

NHS Waiting Times

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-19618 by Andy Kerr on 4 November 2005, what the average waiting time in weeks has been for treatment at Glasgow Dental Hospital in each quarter since May 2007.

Nicola Sturgeon: Information is available for the median wait for a first outpatient consultation following a referral from a GP or dentist. Data for the three quarters from 30 June 2007 to 31 December 2007 is derived from retrospective outpatient Scottish morbidity data. Information on median waiting times for the quarters 31 March 2008 to 30 September 2009 is derived from New Ways of Defining and Measuring Waiting Times, which was introduced on 1 January 2008. Due to the different methods of data collection the figures for 2007 are not comparable with 2008. Information on median waits is provided in the following table.

  NHS Scotland: median waiting time in weeks for a first outpatient appointment following referral by a general medical or dental practitioner, at Glasgow Dental Hospital:

  

Quarter Ending
Median Wait (Weeks)


30 June 2007*
7


30 September 2007*
9


31 December 2007*
10


31 March 2008+
8


30 June 2008+
9


30 September 2008+
10


31 December 2008+
8


31 March 2009+
7


30 June 2009+
7


30 September 2009+
6



  Notes:

  *Data source: ISD Scotland - SMR00.

  +Data source: ISD Scotland - Waiting Times Data Warehouse (New Ways).

NHS Waiting Times

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients are waiting for a first outpatient appointment at Glasgow Dental Hospital following referral by a general medical or dental practitioner, broken down by department.

Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is provided in the following table.

  Number of patients waiting for a first Outpatient appointment, following referral by a general medical or dental practitioner, at Glasgow Dental Hospital, by department on 30 September 2009:

  

Dental Department
Number


Oral Medicine
323


Oral Surgery
533


Orthodontics
213


Paediatric Dentistry
283


Restorative Dentistry
1,053



  Source: ISD Scotland – Waiting Times Data Warehouse.

Nutrition

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it is meeting the SNP manifesto commitment to provide pregnant women with free fruit.

Shona Robison: In June 2008, we published Healthy Eating Active Living: An action plan to improve diet, increase physical activity and tackle obesity.  This included a commitment to broaden out the pledge to provide free fruit to pregnant women and pre-school children using the model of market-led pregnancy cards from the major supermarkets, to encompass maternal and infant nutrition generally and not limited to specific models.

  In September 2008, I announced support of £19 million of new money available to NHS health boards over the period 2008-11 to improve the nutrition of women of childbearing age, pregnant women and children under five in disadvantaged areas. The broad criteria within which NHS boards have been asked to work include increasing uptake of the healthy start scheme, to ensure that everyone who is eligible to claim vouchers to exchange for fresh fruit, vegetables, milk and infant formula does so; supporting work on increasing breastfeeding rates and investing in training for health professionals. Years one and two of that funding have already been allocated to NHS boards. Details of the allocation were outlined in CEL 36 (2008) Nutrition of women of childbearing age, pregnant women and children under five in disadvantaged areas, which can be found at: http://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/mels/CEL2008_36.pdf.

Nutrition

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many pregnant women have been provided with free fruit since May 2007.

Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-28892 on 25 November 2009, which refers to the broadening out of our commitment to support pregnant women. The aim of the broader commitment is to allow health boards to put in place strategic measures to reach a much wider audience of women, and then deliver those through for example: interventions by health professionals related to nutrition, including breastfeeding and weaning; maternity units achieving Baby Friendly Initiative status, ensuring that everyone who is entitled to claim for Healthy Start vouchers which can be exchanged for fruit, vegetables, fresh milk or infant formula at registered retailers do so, and ensuring that all sectors with a contribution to make in this area, e.g. community groups, pre school and voluntary sector are fully involved.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Respite Care

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many respite weeks were provided by local authorities prior to the introduction of an additional 10,000 respite weeks as referred to in its concordat with COSLA.

Shona Robison: Local authorities provided a total of 174,016 respite weeks in 2007-08. This is the baseline figure against which progress is being monitored.

Respite Care

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it is monitoring any increase in respite care.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Government receives, and will continue to receive for 2009-10 and 2010-11, the data by local authority on the number of respite weeks provided for all age groups and by each category of overnight and daytime respite weeks. This is in relation to the concordat commitment of providing an additional 10,000 respite weeks. Both the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) are monitoring the respite weeks provision.

Scottish Government Consultations

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers a period of nine months between the launch of a consultation and the provision of information about its outcome to be consistent with best consultation practice.

Bruce Crawford: Scottish Government guidance on managing consultations makes clear that consultees should normally receive feedback on a consultation within a similar length of time to the period within which consultees were themselves asked to respond.

Sport

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate it has made of the proportion of young people that ceased participating in sport after leaving school in the last period for which figures are available.

Shona Robison: Data on numbers of young people that have ceased to participate in sport after leaving school are not available.

  The most recent data (2007-08) on sport participation in the 16-24 year old age group is published in the Scottish Household Survey (Table 13.12): http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/09/01114213/0.

  Data is also available for the 16-24 year age group from the People and Sport in Scotland: Results from the Scottish Household Survey Culture and Sport Module 2007 (Table 1): http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/254949/0075513.pdf.